Editor's note: With offseason work across the league coming to an end, the focus shifts to the steamy summer workouts ahead. To get you fully primed for the preseason and beyond, Sporting News provides in-depth looks at all 32 teams leading into training camp. Today: Dallas Cowboys. Prediction: Second, NFC East. Up next: Philadelphia Eagles.

The honeymoon, if there ever was one, is over for Jason Garrett. The Cowboys have missed the playoffs in each of the past two years. And while Garrett, who has a middling 21-19 record in two and half years as coach, still has owner Jerry Jones' support, the patience is running out.

"This thing has been a big disappointment the last couple of years; I'm not satisfied," Jones says. "We've got to start knocking on the door. So there is a lot of resolve and not a lot of patience, and Jason knows that."

The Cowboys are very much hopeful of a postseason run in 2013 because of a host of changes they made in the offseason — namely overhauling the coaching staff and the shift in philosophy on defense from the 3-4 under fired coordinator Rob Ryan to the 4-3 under his replacement, Monte Kiffin.

With all that considered, the Cowboys will only go as far as maligned quarterback Tony Romo and his one career playoff win will take them. And unlike Garrett, they are married to Romo for life after signing him to a six-year, $108 million extension in the offseason.

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Harris took over for Dez Bryant on punt returns midway through last season and emerged as huge threat, with seven returns for 20 yards on more. His plays on special teams opened the door for the Cowboys to use him in the regular offense, where he showed similar playmaking ability.

"Dez Bryant has blossomed into the Cowboys' best player after last season's breakout season and he is looking to do even more damage in 2013. He was bogged down in the past by injuries, trash-talking and physical play.

One way to frustrate him was to bang him around to get him off his game. He is doing a much better job of running his routes and getting out of his breaks. You are not seeing the frustration levels of a few years ago and he is no longer quitting on routes. That is giving him more confidence in his ability to run routes and is making it harder and harder to stop him.

"Now, being physical with him and meeting his bully tactics with your own is still the best way to try to contain him. It is just not as easy as it was in the past. Bryant is a great athlete with outstanding speed and leaping ability who makes dangerous plays in the middle of the field as well as in the red zone."

Inside the headset

Garrett is a no-nonsense coach who is stickler for details and believes in preparation and fundamentals. He is not a big-time gambler. He talks about wanting a balanced offense but the numbers suggest that he has a decidedly pass-first philosophy.

Next: View from the other sideline

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View from the other sideline

An opponent breaks down the Cowboys:

"The Cowboys remain typecast as a team that will crumble in big moments. It starts with quarterback Tony Romo. He can and will make great plays. But opponents also believe that, sooner or later, he will give the opportunity to take one away and sometimes more than one. Romo often has had to do too much and take too many chances because of poor blocking up front and the lack of a consistent running game.

"It's easy to focus on the offensive line for the blocking woes, but sub-par point-of-attack blocking at tight end also plays a role in the lack of a running game.

"Defensively, the Cowboys lack true a tackle to play the one-technique in the new 4-3 scheme. Jay Ratliff may be forced to do it, but he is a three-technique tackle in this scheme, as is Jason Hatcher, the other projected starter at tackle. Linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter should fit perfectly in the new scheme at the Mike and weakside linebackers. The Cowboys will be fine at cornerback."

Next: Analysis of offense

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Analysis: offense

The Cowboys run the timing-based base scheme that dates back to the legendary Don Coryell and was passed down to Garrett from Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese. The difference in 2013 is Garrett's play-calling duties have been turned over to offensive coordinator Bill Callahan. Expect the Cowboys to emphasize the run much more under Callahan than they did with Garrett. The Cowboys set a team record for fewest rushing attempts in 2012.

Quarterbacks: Romo is the Cowboys' quarterback for the foreseeable future. The contract extension was a symbol of the belief that Jones has seemingly always had in Romo despite his penchant for playing his worst in the biggest of games. While it would be easy to point to Romo's career-high-tying 19 interceptions of 2012, the Cowboys see that as an example of Romo having to do too much or being let down by his teammates. He was sacked a career-high-tying 36 times because of poor play up front and got no help from a running game that was the worst in team history. And his receivers busted routes and dropped too many passes.

Certainly, Romo has to improve his decision-making and take better care of the football. But the man who already owns nearly all of the Cowboys' team passing records is viewed as more the solution than the problem regarding the postseason woes. Romo also passed for a career-high 4,903 yards last season while engineering five comeback victories in the fourth quarter or overtime. Romo is capable of winning and being successful. He just needs a little more help around him.

It also should be noted that Romo's new deal calls for him to have increased input in the offense as well as personnel. That was on display during the draft, OTAs and minicamp, even though Romo was on the sideline after having a cyst removed from his back in April.

Backup quarterback Kyle Orton is as good as any in the league. He completed 9-of-10 passes in spot duty last season and the Cowboys are confident he can win games if called upon. GRADE: B

Running backs: Improving the running game will be a major focus in 2013 after a 2012 campaign that saw the Cowboys feature their worst rushing attack in the team history. The franchise that is known for all-time NFL rushing king Emmitt Smith and fellow Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett averaged only 79.1 yards per game on the ground.

Blame can be placed on the inability of the offensive line to open holes and the team's propensity to fall behind in games, forcing it to abandon the running game.

Blame some of it on the absence of starter DeMarco Murray, who missed six games with a sprained foot. Murray's 663 yards were the lowest for a leading Dallas rusher in 23 years. He is healthy and should be ready to roll in 2013. But because Murray has now missed games in each of the last two years because of injuries, the Cowboys know they must find a capable backup to share the load and possibly take over if Murray is unavailable.

Fifth-round pick Joseph Randle will be the No. 2 back. His skills are similar to Murray's and he will be counted on to start if Murray continues his injury-prone ways.

Fullback Lawrence Vickers didn't get a chance to make a huge impact on the field last year because of a limited number of attempts. Now there's a chance he won't be on the roster when the season starts. He missed the offseason program because of back surgery. Combine that with his $1.2 million salary and the new emphasis on a two tight-end offense, and his status is precarious. GRADE: C

Receivers: The light might have finally clicked on for receiver Dez Bryant. If so, look out. Bryant finally lived up to expectations on the field with a breakout performance in 2012, catching 92 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also showed toughness by playing the last month with a fractured finger. He is hoping to build on it in 2013 and is openly talking about gaining 2,000 receiving yards. More good news for Bryant is that he had a controversy-free offseason for the first time in his career — a definite sign of maturity that can only help him continue to develop on the field.

Fellow starter Miles Austin remains a conundrum of sorts of because of his inability to stay healthy for long stretches. But he still caught 66 passes for 943 yards and six touchdowns last season, giving the Cowboys a duo as dangerous as any in the league.

Third-round pick Terrance Williams should walk in as the No. 3 receiver and give the Cowboys insurance in case Austin continues to be dogged by injuries. Dwayne Harris is expected to build on a solid 2013 finish and will play a role here as well.

Jason Witten remains at the top of his game after catching more passes last season than any tight end in team history. The addition of second-round pick Gavin Escobar has the Cowboys talking about going to a two-tight end offense like New England. Escobar is a dynamic pass catcher and should replace Witten as the starter in two years. GRADE: B

Line: This group was awful in 2012. The only reason Romo wasn't sacked more than 36 times was because of his ability to make plays with his feet. That is in addition to the poor run blocking that resulted in the worst rushing offense in team history. The problems were at almost every position save left tackle, where Tyron Smith is developing into one of the top players in the league. His continued is improvement is the biggest bright spot heading into 2013.

The Cowboys are hopeful of better play everywhere else because they will be in their second year under Callahan (who also coaches the O-line) and improved health of guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings, two major free-agent signees from a year ago who were held back because of injuries and poor play.

The Cowboys got some much-needed help in the draft with center Travis Frederick in the first round. He is big and powerful and will be a walk-in starter in place of Phil Costa, who missed the majority of last season with injuries.

The team still has concerns at right tackle, where Doug Free proved to be a big disappointment last year as the most experienced and highest-paid player. He shared the position with Jermey Parnell at season's end. After taking a pay cut to avoid being a cap casualty, Free will compete with Parnell for the job in training camp. GRADE: D

Next: analysis of defense

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Analysis: defense

The Cowboys made a philosophical and scheme shift in the offseason, moving from the 3-4 under Rob Ryan to the 4-3 under Monte Kiffin, who is famous for his Tampa 2 scheme. The Cowboys made the change because Ryan's schemes were too complicated and considered unsound. Kiffin's approach is simplistic and he preaches fundamentals. His units are also historically among the league leaders in forced turnovers.

Line: This is clearly a transitional year because standout linebacker DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer will move to end in the team's new 4-3 scheme. Both played end in college before making the transition to linebacker in the NFL, so they have experience playing with their hands on the ground and should make a smooth transition. Spencer had a career-high 11 sacks and led the team in tackles with 106 in 2012. Injuries caused Ware to have a down year (for him) with 11.5 sacks. The good news for Ware is that he will be rushing the quarterback 100 percent of the time now under Kiffin and can't be schemed into coverage.

The move should also help nose tackle Jay Ratliff, who played in only six games last year because of a foot injury and hernia surgery. He will be paired at tackle with the improving Jason Hatcher, who had career highs in tackles (77), sacks (4.0) and quarterback pressures (25) in 2012. GRADE: B

Linebackers: The shift from the 3-4 to the 4-3 is possible because of what the Cowboys believe they have at linebacker in Sean Lee and Bruce Carter. Both are coming off injuries that cut their seasons short in 2012, but they have shown enough to be considered among the team's most important and most productive performers. Lee is a perfect fit for middle linebacker because of instincts and range to play the pass as well as the run. Carter is considered ideal for weakside linebacker. Ironically, when the Cowboys drafted him in 2011, they thought he might be a better fit in the 4-3 than the 3-4. But they took the chance anyway. Now they have brought him home to the 4-3. Veteran Justin Durant was signed in free agency to start on the strong side. GRADE: B

Secondary: The shift to the Tampa 2 scheme could have its biggest impact on the Dallas secondary. The Cowboys have two man-to-man cornerbacks in Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. Look for Kiffin not to take them out of what they do best and make them play in more of a zone scheme. The Cowboys will take a page of the Seattle Seahawks' playbook and use Carr and Claiborne in man coverage as much as possible while also employing the Tampa 2 scheme. Both are strong, physical cornerbacks who can help with the run as well as play in coverage.

Safety is a challenge for the Cowboys because of the relative inexperience of Barry Church and Matt Johnson, both of whom missed last season with injuries. Church showed enough in training camp and the preseason that he can handle strong safety. The big issue, though, is at free safety, where Dallas drafted J.J. Wilcox in the third round and signed veteran Will Allen to give the coaches some options outside of Johnson. GRADE: C

Next: analysis of special teams

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Analysis: special teams

The Cowboys have no questions at kicker, where Dan Bailey is automatic. He made 29-of-31 field-goal attempts last season, including a perfect 26-for-26 from less than 50 yards.

Chris Jones will return to handle the punting job. He was solid at the end of 2011 before an injury-plagued 2012.

Dwayne Harris took over punt and kick returns. He was particularly effective running back punts, with seven returns of 20 yards or more to tie for the league lead. GRADE: B

Next: Bottom line

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Bottom line

In each of the previous two seasons, the Cowboys went into the last game with a chance to win the division and make the playoffs. The fact that they were contending for a playoff spot on the last day of the 2012 campaign should not be lost. There is no reason why they shouldn't contend again in what looks to be a down year for the NFC East — especially with expected improvements to the offensive line, the running game and on defense.